“Funny,” I said, my smile never wavering. “I was thinking my blood adds adaptability and intelligence. Seems like an upgrade, actually.”
Someone gasped. Daphne’s hand found mine under the table, squeezing.
“After all,” I continued sweetly, “I’m managing to be polite right now. That takes considerable adaptability given the company.”
Silvermane’s expression went cold. “We shall see.”
Daphne passed me another note.DAMN. You didn’t have to murder him.
I wrote back:He started it.
But I wasn’t focused on Silvermane anymore. I was watching Killian, and my stomach was dropping.
He was just sitting there, staring at his plate. Not fidgeting, not talking, not doing any of the things that made him Killian. His shoulders had curved inward, making himself as small as possible in his chair.
And his dessert sat untouched in front of him.
Killian never ignored dessert. Ever. The kid would eat chocolate cake if the castle was on fire. Something was very, very wrong.
“Killian, are you okay?”
He didn’t look at me. “Yes, Mama.”
That voice. That wasn’t my son’s usual voice.
“Sweetheart, look at me.”
He lifted his head and my blood went cold. He was pale. Way too pale. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, and his whole body was trembling.
“Mama...” His voice was barely a whisper. “My tummy feels yucky.”
I was out of my seat immediately, every maternal instinct firing at once. “What’s wrong?”
“It hurts.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “Everything feels... loud.”
“Loud? What do you mean loud?”
“In here.” He tapped his chest again. “All the people feel loud in here.”
“I don’t understand-”
“They’re all interested and angry and it HURTS, Mama.” Tears started streaming down his face.
Mal was beside us now. “Killian, your eyes-”
“What about his...” I looked, and the words died in my throat.
Killian’s eyes were glowing. Bright gold, like molten metal, nothing human or wolf about them.
Before I could react, Valerius Crescentborn reached across the table toward Killian. “What’s wrong? Let me see the boy’s face.”
The moment his hand came close, everything exploded.
A portal ripped open behind Killian, the air literally tearing apart with a sound like fabric shredding. The entire room gasped. Another portal opened to his left. Then his right. Then above the table.
Killian screamed, looking at his hands in horror. His fingers were shifting, not just the tips like we’d seen before, but full claws. And his ears weren’t just fuzzy. They were completely wolf ears, standing up from his head. A tail had sprouted, knocking over his water glass.
“MAMA, WHAT’S HAPPENING?!”
